Bold is for Bijuu/Avatar State Speech, Scene Changes and Jutsu

Italic is for character's thoughts and flashbacks

Imprisoned

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, all was well.

All except two Water Tribe members who were currently lying down on the ground panting.

"I *pant* think *pant* I'm *pant* gonna *pant* die...!" Sokka wheezed.

"Oh come on guys, it wasn't that bad." Naruto told them with a grin.

"You made us run one thousand laps around this forest!" Katara yelled at him.

"While wearing weighted vests, leggings and wristbands!" Sokka added.

"So? Sokka's girlfriend Suki had to run one hundred laps around her village everyday for one week! And when I gave her the real training, her stamina was awesome! I'm just giving you guys more training so that you can have even more stamina!" Naruto reasoned.

"Wait ... Suki did this training?" Sokka asked as he slowly got up.

"Well yeah. I taught her for one week. Everyday, she had to run laps. I even taught her some basic techniques. She only really mastered one of them though." Naruto explained.

"Oh. Well, where is Aang? He needs to hurry up with that food." Sokka said.

"Just be patient Sokka. He's probably on his way back with some delicious food right now!" Naruto replied with a drool.

Five Minutes Later

Aang suddenly leaped down from a tree with a pouch in his hand.

"Aang! You're finally back! What kind of food do you have?" Sokka said as he ran over to him along with Naruto. Katara just walked over to them.

"Well, we have a lot of options." Aang started with a nervous laugh as he reached into the pouch."First, round nuts and some kind of oval-shaped nuts. Oh! And some rock-shaped nuts. Oh wait...those are just rocks." He said as he took out each option and finally threw away the rocks. Momo simply looked at the fallen rocks before going back to eating his leaf.

"Well, dig in!" Aang told them with a grin.

Katara just blankly stared at him while both Naruto and Sokka looked horrified.

"You can't be serious!" Naruto yelled.

"Nobody wants to eat this!" Sokka complained.

"They're right Aang. Seriously, what else you got?" Katara asked.

Aang just looked inside the pouch again.

"Umm ... that's it." Aang said with a nervous smile.

Naruto groaned.

"Really? You've been gone for like fifteen minutes and all you found were some stupid nuts?" Naruto asked, slightly irritated.

"That's all that is out there!" Aang protested.

"You just don't want to kill the animals! I knew Naruto or I should have gone!" Sokka retorted. Naruto nodded in agreement.

Aang just glared at him and an argument ensued between the three boys while Katara just shook her head at them. Meanwhile, Momo had picked up the rock that Aang had thrown away. He hit it against a boulder a couple of times before lifting it over his head and slamming in onto the boulder. As soon as the rock hit, a loud 'boom' noise. Aang, Naruto and Sokka all stopped arguing as they and Katara looked in the direction the sound came from.

"What was that?" Katara asked warily.

Momo then picked up the same rock and dropped it onto the boulder and an even louder 'boom' noise was heard while Momo leaped away.

"It's coming from over there!" Sokka pointed in the direction where the sound was coming from.

"Thanks for stating the obvious!" Naruto said with a deadpan voice.

"Oh quiet you!" Sokka shouted back.

"I'm gonna go check it out!" Aang declared as he ran towards the sound. Naruto and Katara followed closely behind.

"Since when do we run towards large booms?" Sokka muttered to himself but followed them anyway.

Eventually, the four teenagers hid behind a fallen tree and watched as a young man who seemed to be the same age as Sokka levitated a boulder and suddenly sent it into a wall with a thrust of his hand. He had long brown hair, and was wearing a grey under shirt and pants while also wearing a traditional Earth Kingdom tunic over them. He sported a green headband as well.

"Hey! It's one of those earthy guys like that creepy old king dattebayo!" Naruto declared in a whisper that only Sokka, Katara and Aang could hear.

"He's an earthbender!" Katara smiled.

"Lets go meet him!" Aang grinned.

"Hey, he looks dangerous I don't think we shou-" Sokka started but was cut off by Naruto.

"Here we go again! Does he look like one of those Fire Nation bastards? I don't see any red!" Naruto yelled at Sokka, annoyed.

"Hey there! My name's Katara, what's yours?" Katara called out to the boy as she stood up from behind the fallen tree. The boy, who had his back turned to her and was currently levitating a rock, turned to looked at her with a surprised gasp. He then began to look nervous as the rock he had been levitating had dropped and hit the ground with a 'thump'. Katara was still smiling at him but her expression changed to one of confusion when the boy ran away and used his earthbending to bring down rocks to prevent from being followed.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang yelled to the running boy as he, Sokka and Naruto walked over to a very confused Katara.

"Did I say something wrong?" Katara questioned as she looked at her older brother.

"No, it's not you're fault. He's probably shy or something." Sokka told her as she looked a little relieved.

"Or maybe he's just overly paranoid, just like someone we know." Naruto said with a grin. Katara gained a smirk while Aang just grinned along with Naruto.

"Anyway, the more important matter is where he is going. He has to be running somewhere." Sokka told them with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Wait! That mean's there might be a village or something! They might have a market!" Naruto exclaimed with excitement while Sokka suddenly caught on to what Naruto was thinking.

"Which means..." Sokka continued.

"NO NUTS FOR DINNER!" Naruto and Sokka shouted together before dashing off in the same direction as the earthbender. Sokka was running much slower than Naruto because of the weights and how tired he was from Naruto's training but was still putting in effort. Katara watched them run for a second before looking back at Aang. Then, she looked back in their direction.

"Wait for me!" Katara called after them as she ran away too. Aang's eyebrow twitched.

"So they all left me for some stupid market! I worked hard to find those nuts!" Aang muttered to himself before looking over at Momo who then flew after them.

"Yeah, I didn't want them either." Aang sighed before running after his friends.

At The Village

Aang was currently speaking to a merchant while Katara, Sokka and Naruto were walking towards him.

"Great hat! I'll trade you some nuts for it." Aang told the merchant with a smile. The merchant, with a blank expression on his face, wordlessly gave Aang the hat while the young airbender gave him the nuts in return. As the three other teens approached him, Katara noticed someone in her peripheral vision. She turned her head fully to look at a familiar figure. It was the earthbender boy that ran away from her when she introduced herself. She watched as he entered his home. While Aang was showing off his hat to Naruto and Sokka, Katara walked towards the door of the house the boy entered.

As she opened the door, Katara heard what sounded like a woman saying, "You're late! Get started on your chores."

As the door swung fully open, Katara entered.

"Hey, you're that kid." Katara told the teen that looked to be about her brother's age. He gasped and turned around to face her. "Why did you run away before?"

"Uh, you must have me confused with someone else." The boy replied.

"Nope, pretty sure it was you we saw earthbending." Naruto announced as he walked into the room with his arms behind his head and a grin on his face. If one held a picture of the fourth hokage next to Naruto's face, the resemblance would be obvious. A moment later, both Sokka and Aang entered the room as well.

The boy and a woman who appeared to be his mother gasped when Naruto mentioned the 'earthbending' part. The woman quickly closed the door and window blinds.

"They saw you doing what?" The woman asked incredulously.

"They're crazy mom! I mean, just looked at how they're dressed! And that boy, look at his hair! It's unnatural!" The boy said while pointing at Naruto at the end. Katara, Aang and Sokka all looked at what they were wearing and shrugged. Naruto looked offended, but he didn't respond.

"You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending!" The mother of the Earthbender lectured him.

Before the other people in the room could ask what they were talking about, they heard a voice from outside.

"Open up!" A voice said while knocking on the door.

Sokka opened the blinds slightly and peered through to see who it was.

"Fire Nation! Act natural!" Sokka announced to his teammates as well as the other teenager and his mother.

The mother opened the door and the soldier which seemed to be the leader of a group of three smirked and walked in. His smirked vanished when and he raised an eyebrow when he examined the room. Sokka and the unnamed earthbender seemed to be having a conversation while Katara and Aang were both eating berries. Naruto was not in the room, or so it seemed.

"What do you want? I've already paid you this week." The mother asked the soldier. In response, the soldier smirked.

"Tax just doubled. And we wouldn't want an accident would we?" The soldier asked as he bent a flame into his hands. As everyone took a step back, the soldier dispersed the flame.

"Sometimes, fire can be so hard to control." He said simply but everyone could hear what that statement really meant.

With a defeated look on her face, the mother took out a chest with coins in it and paid the soldier. The soldier glanced at the money and threw some of the coins on the floor.

"You can keep the copper ones." he said with a smirk before leaving. As everyone just stared at the door, there was suddenly a 'poof' noise and a plume of smoke. Everyone looked at said plume with confused expressions. When the smoke faded, everyone saw Naruto with an angry look on his face.

"That soldier was such a bastard! Giving threats like that! I should have taught him a lesson!" Naruto growled angrily.

"Naruto? Where did you come from?" Katara asked confusedly.

"It's one of my ninja techniques. It's called the Henge no Jutsu. It allows me to transform into almost any object I wish. I just transformed myself into a stool." Naruto explained. While the boy and his mother looked shocked and Sokka looked disbelieving, Katara and Aang looked amazed.

"Anyway," Sokka began "How long has the Fire Nation been here?"

"Five years. Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships." The woman answered.

"They're just thugs. All they do is steal from us. And everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it." The boy stated, his tone full of annoyance.

"Quiet Haru! Don't talk like that." The woman said to the boy, now identified as Haru.

"But Haru is an earthbender. He can help." Katara said.

"Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village. He must never use his abilities." Haru's mother told Katara.

"How can you say that? Haru has a gift! Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend! It's a part of who we are." Katara replied to Haru's mother.

"You don't understand."

"I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?" Katara asked as Haru's mother suddenly gained a pained look on her face.

"They can take Haru away. Just like they took his father." Haru's mother explained. Haru just gained an angry look on his face and walked out of the house. Katara looked after him sadly, feeling guilty.

Later That Day

The gaang was in a hut on top of a mountain.

"My mother said you guys could stay here for the night. But, you should leave in the morning." Haru said to them.

"Thanks! I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay!" Aang replied as Appa starting chewing the hay stacks inside. As Haru turned to leave, Katara followed him outside.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father." Katara told Haru.

"That's okay. It's funny, the way you were talking you kind of sounded like him." Haru replied as he glanced at her.

"Thanks." Katara said with a small smile on her face.

"My father was very courageous. When the Fire Nation attacked, him and some other earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one. But they fought back anyway." Haru told her.

"He sounds like a great man." Katara said as her smile grew.

"After the attack, the rounded up my father and every other earthbender. They took them away. We haven't seen them since." He said as he squatted down at the edge of a cliff.

"So that's why you hide your earthbending." Katara concluded as her smile changed to a frown.

"Yes. The problem is, the only way I feel close to my father is when I practice my bending." Haru replied as he levitated rocks above his hand before crushing them into dust. "He taught me everything I know."

"See this necklace?" Katara asked as she sat down next to him. "My mother gave it to me."

"It's beautiful."

"I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her." Katara said sadly. When she looked at Haru, she saw that he had a sad smile on his face.

"It's not enough is it?" he asked.

"No."

Minutes Later

Haru and Katara were taking a walk. They happened to pass by a mine which suddenly collapsed.

"Ah! Help!" The two teenagers heard a voice yell.

"The mine!" Haru said before rushing over to the mine with Katara right behind him. When they arrived at their destination, they saw an old man trapped under a bunch of rocks.

"Help me!" He pleaded when he saw the two. Katara and Haru both tried to pull him out, but he wouldn't budge.

"We need to get help!" Katara told Haru.

"There's no time! Pull harder!" Was the response Katara got and she did what he said but it still didn't work. Then, however, she got an idea.

"Haru, there's a way you can help..." Katara said quietly. Haru looked confused at first but then his face lit up with realization.

"No. I can't."

"There's no one around to see you! It's the only way!" Katara yelled at him. Haru looked reluctant at first, but after he took a deep breath, his facial expression changed to one of confidence and determination. He stood in front of the mine and got in a stance before twisting around and thrusting both of his fists forward. The result was the rocks that were trapping the poor old man flying back inside the mine, freeing the victim.

"Haru, you did it!" Katara exclaimed with a smile an ran up to give him a hug. Haru blushed then awkwardly hugged her back. The man just looked at the boy in shock. An earthbender! The Fire Nation would give him a lot of money if he turned the boy in! His face then got an evil smirk on it. When the two looked back at him, though, he had such a fake scared and helpless look on his face that even Naruto could tell he was acting if he was there. Haru and Katara helped him up and gave him support when he started walking, neither noticing the greedy look on his face.

Haru's Hut, At Night

Aang and Katara were talking, Sokka was trying to sleep, and Naruto was practicing basic airbending forms that he learned from Aang.

"It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to save that old man." Katara said.

"You must have really inspired him!" Aang said from atop Appa.

"I guess so..."

"Everyone should get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn." Sokka told them with a yawn.

"Who died and made you Hokage?" Naruto questioned.

"I don't even know what that is!" Sokka snapped.

"The Hokage is the leader of my village! Geez, you think you'd know after I told you about six times!" Naruto yelled indignantly.

"Whatever, just go to sleep. We have to leave early." Sokka replied tiredly. Naruto had a tick mark on his forehead but before he could say something Katara beat him to it.

"Why? Can't we sleep in for once?" Katara asked with a delicately raised eyebrow.

"Of course not! Have you seen where we are? This village is practically crawling with Fire Nation troops! If they find out Aang is here, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast! Goodnight."

"If Sasuke were here he'd probably spit them right back out ..." Naruto muttered so that only his tenant could hear.

"That has to be added to the list of corniest jokes I have ever heard."

'Shut up fur ball! I wasn't even talking to you!'

"Really? Than why did you say it low enough so that only I could hear?"

Naruto really hated it when he was right.

'Whatever!'

Kurama just grinned before Naruto focused back on the world outside of his mind. The lights were turned off and everyone seemed to be asleep so he went to sleep too.

Later That Night

Fire Nation troops marched through the streets, all knowing where they were headed. Why? Because they were being lead by some old man who claimed to know where an earthbender in hiding was. The leader of the soldiers knocked on the door. When the door opened, it revealed Haru.

"That's him! That's the earthbender!" The old man declared as he pointed at Haru. The leader of the soldiers simply pushed the senior citizen aside and grabbed Haru. To say the young earthbender was shocked was an understatement. The old man sold him out? Why? He saved his life! Did he do it for money? To be recognized as a hero? How could he do that to one of his own people, Haru wondered. However, he didn't get to think anymore because he was hit hard in the head and lost consciousness.

Next Morning

Katara walked out the hut to get some water from the spring for the group to take on their travels. As she waterbended the water from the spring into a vase, she noticed Haru's mother looking over the horizon from atop a cliff. As if noticing her presence, Haru's mother turned around, tears in her eyes. Katara immediately knew what happened. Her eyes widened and she dropped the vase in shock.

While Naruto, Sokka and Aang were packing their belongings, Katara suddenly came barging in through the hut's door.

"They took him! They took Haru away!" Katara yelled with tears streaming down her face.

"What?!" Aang and Naruto said, both having shocked and worried looks on their faces.

"The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation and it's all my fault! I'm the one that convinced him into using his earthbending! I'm so stupid!" she cried.

"You're not stupid and this isn't your fault. If anything, it's the old mans fault. He's the one who turned Haru in."

"I know, I know. But he wouldn't have a reason to turn him in if it wasn't for me!" Katara argued.

"Katara, when did this happen?" Naruto asked.

"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight." Katara answered after she calmed down a bit and stopped crying.

"Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone." Sokka said. Katara looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry Katara, but there's nothing we can do. He could be in the actual Fire Nation right now for all we know!"

Katara narrowed her eyes at him before she got an idea.

"We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation will take me right to him."

"Why would they do that?" Aang asked uncertainly.

"Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending." she declared. Aang and Naruto both a raised an eyebrow and looked at each other while Sokka looked thoughtful.

Near the Mine

"I thought you were crazy at first Katara but this might work." Sokka told her.

"So how is this gonna work again?" Naruto asked. Everyone else sweatdropped.

"There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines. All Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent to this one. Then, the boulder starts levitating. Hopefully, the Fire Nation soldiers will buy it and believe it is earthbending. If they don't buy it though, not only might we get in trouble for trying to fake earthbending, but they might realize that Aang used airbending to levitate the boulder. If they find that out, they'll definitely know Aang is the Avatar." Sokka explained to the blond-haired knucklehead who simply nodded.

"Aang, did you get all that?" Katara asked.

"Yup! I just got to wait for my cue and then i'll send an air blast through this vent!" Aang answered.

"Shh! Fire Nation, two o' clock!" Naruto whispered to them. They all nodded and quickly got in their positions. Naruto and Aang were hiding behind the rock where the vent was while Sokka and Katara began to argue after they 'accidentally' bumped into each other.

"Get out of my way pipsqueak!" Sokka ordered in an overly dramatic voice.

"How dare you call me pipsqueak you giant-eared weirdo!" Katara replied with a voice that was more convincing but not by much.

"What did you call me?!"

"A giant-eared weirdo! Look at those things! Do herds of animals use them for shade?"

"You better back off!"

"It's not like you're gonna do anything! You're just upset because even elephants make fun of how large your ears are!"

"That's it! You're going down!" Sokka exclaimed as he reared back his fist.

"I'll teach you a lesson! Earthbending style!" Katara yelled as she raised her fist and stomped on the ground. At the same time, Naruto tapped Aang on the head, reminding him of his cue. Aang quickly sent a gust of wind through the vent and it made the boulder rise with Momo sitting on the other side with his arms raised.

"That lemur, it's earthbending!" The Fire Nation soldier in the front said in astonishment. Sokka, Naruto, and Aang all facepalmed at the same time.

"No you idiot it's the girl!" Sokka said as he pointed at Katara.

"Oh. Of course." The soldier said in a tone that meant he felt stupid.

"I'll hold her down!" Sokka told the soldiers. He then whispered to Katara, "You've got twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you."

Katara nodded slowly so that only Sokka could notice. The soldiers then lead Katara away. Once they were out of earshot, Naruto yelled at his other two comrades.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's follow them!" Naruto said as he leaped onto a tree and began leaping in the direction Katara was taken. Sokka and Aang simply hopped on to Appa and flew above.

With Aang, Sokka and Naruto

Katara was currently on a cart being taken onto a prison ship. Meanwhile, Aang, Sokka and Naruto were hiding in the crowd. They were all wearing straw hats. Naruto was to cover his blond-hair, Aang was to cover his tattoo, and Sokka was, well, because he wanted to. When they saw Katara get on the ship, they walked back to where Appa was. They got on Appa and flew above the clouds. When they looked down, they noticed they were directly above the ship. They kept following the ship until it lead to a completely metallic prison rig. Aang began to look worried.

"Don't worry Aang. Katara knows what shes doing." Sokka reassured him.

"Yeah! Katara's tough!" Naruto said.

"I sure hope you guys are right." Aang answered before reluctantly turning Appa around and flying away.

Ship

"Earthbenders. It is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard. I am your warden, and I prefer to think of you as honored guests insted of prisoners." Said a man as he walked forward. He was dressed in a fire nation uniform with no helmet. "I hope you will come to think of me as your humble and caring host. You will succeed here if you simply abide..." He continued. However, he stopped talking when one of the prisoners started coughing and he got an annoyed look on his face. The warden quickly spun around and launched a wave of fire at said prisoner's feet while the poor man jumped back in fright. This made then warden even more annoyed.

"What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him? Take him below! One week in solitary will improve his manners." The warden yelled before a soldier came and took the man away. Meanwhile, Katara was outraged.

"Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you, and we'll get along famously." The warden said as he stood in front of Katara and smirked at her. Katara had the urge to spit in his face, but she didn't.

"You will notice, earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth. So, if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people, forget them." He continued as he lead the prisoners to where they were going to be kept.

"It is impossible. Good day." He said with a smirk before walking away and having soldiers lead the prisoners to where they were being kept. As Katara walked in and the door shut behind her, she looked around to see hundreds of prisoners, all looking miserable. As she walked, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Katara?" The voice called. Said girl turned around and saw the very boy that she came to rescue. It was Haru. She smiled brightly and ran towards him.

"Haru!" She exclaimed happily before enveloping him in a hug. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" She continued. However, Haru was too shocked to answer her questions.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked confusedly.

"It was my fault you were captured. I came to rescue you." Katara replied.

"So you got yourself arrested?"

"It was the only way I could find you."

"You've got guts Katara, I'll give you that." Haru then complimented with a smile. "C'mon, there's someone I want you to meet." He said as he lead her away.

Minutes Later

"Katara, this is my father Tyro. Dad, this is my friend Katara." Haru said as he brought Katara to meet his father.

"It's an honor to meet you." Katara said as she bowed.

"Have some dinner, Katara." Tyro said kindly, offering her a bowl. She took it and did not like the looks of her food. As if reading her mind, Tyro said, "It's not as bad as it looks."

After taking a seat, Katara tried some. After Katara resisted the urge to vomit, Tyro said, "It's still pretty bad though."

"Tyro, the prisoners are complaining there aren't enough blankets to go around." A man said to Tyro as he stood behind him.

"I'll talk to the guards. In the meantime, make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will have to hope for warmer weather." Tyro replied.

While this was going on, Haru was speaking to Katara.

"So where are your other three friends?" Haru asked her.

"You mean Aang, Sokka and Naruto? They didn't come. They gave me twelve hours to get you out of here." Katara replied. Neither of the two noticed someone listening to their conversation.

"Get him out of here? You can't do that." Tyro cut in.

"Why not?" Katara questioned confusedly.

"The warden is ruthless...he won't stand for any rebellion or escape attempts. He can and will kill anyone who tries something like that." Tyro told her.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, you don't have an escape plan?" Katara asked.

"The plan is to survive, Katara. Wait out this war. Hopefully, one day, we can go home and forget all this ever happened."

"How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up!"

"Katara, I admire your courage. I envy your youth. But, the problem is, people's lives are at stake here. Like I said, the warden is a ruthless man and he will kill us without any remorse. I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do." Tyro said sadly. Suddenly, Katara gained a determined look on her face.

"We'll see about that..." Katara said before standing up, climbing up on a table and picking up the lid of a pan. She hit it a few times with a spoon to get the attention of the prisoners.

"Earthbenders," She started, "you don't know me, but I know of you. Every child in my Water Tribe village was brought to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom, and the courageous earthbenders who guard it's borders. Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless. That is not true! Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage! And it is your courage they should truly fear, because it runs deeper than any mine you'd been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home! It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away! The time to fight back is now, I can tell you the Avatar has returned, so remember your courage earthbenders! Let us fight for our freedom!"

After Katara's long speech, the earthbenders went back to what they were doing. The only ones who were really paying attention to here where Tyro and Haru, who were both smiling sadly at her, and the person who was listening to her conversation just minutes before. Katara bowed her head in sadness while the warden, who heard her speech, walked away with a triumphant smirk on his face. As Katara got down from the table and began to walk away, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see a girl about her age with pale skin, pink hair and emerald eyes. Underneath the average prison clothes, she was wearing what seemed to be a red dress with grayish-green shorts and blue sandals. She also had a blue holster on her right leg and wore the same headband as Naruto on her head.

"I liked your speech. But can I talk to you for a second?" The girl said. Katara just nodded as the girl lead her to a corner where they could talk without being heard.

"I overheard your conversation with the tanned boy over there. You said that your friends were coming for you in 12 hours right?" Katara nodded. "And you also said that one of them is named Naruto right?"

"Yes. Why? Do you know him?" Katara asked.

"Well that depends. Does he have bright blonde hair, blue eyes, a orange and blue jumpsuit and wear this headband?" Sakura asked and pointed to her headband at the end. Katara nodded.

"Know him? He's one of my best friends! Would you mind taking him to me please?" The girl exclaimed.

"Alright, what is your name? Also, how did you get in here? No offense but you don't seem to be an earthbender." Katara questioned.

"That's because I'm not an earthbender. My name is Sakura Haruno. Me, Naruto and a couple of other friends were involved in a fight about three weeks ago. After we defeated our enemy, some kind of light just came out of nowhere and I blacked out. Next thing I know, I wake up in some village and I stay there for about a week. While I was there, I usually trained in a field just outside the village. One day, though, about twelve men were there training too. So, ignoring them, I continude my training. I have a sort of super strength ability. So, when I was training, I was practicing a flip kick my master taught me. So, when my heel hit the ground, the ground cracked and boulders flew up. The soldiers saw this and figured I was an earthbender. And because I already used most of my chakra by training, they overpowered me and knocked me out. Next day, I woke up here. I've been here ever since, trying to find a way to help these people escape with me." Sakura explained.

Katara's eyes widened.

"So you mean that you could have escaped already but you stayed to try and help these people?" Katara asked. Sakura nodded.

"Pretty much. I'm trained in stealth so it wouldn't be hard to sneak out of here." Sakura told her. At this, Katara smiled.

"And yet you stayed here to help these people. You're a good person, Sakura." Katara said. Sakura smiled.

"And so are you, Katara. It's too bad these people had their courage destroyed by that bastard warden." Sakura muttered. Before Katara could reply, Haru approached them.

"Katara, I'm sorry nobody listened to you. I liked your speech." Haru said before he noticed the other girl. "Who's this?"

"Haru, this is Sakura Haruno. Sakura, this is Haru. Sakura is one of Naruto's friends." Katara told him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sakura." Haru greeted.

"The pleasure is all mine." Sakura replied with a smile.

"Anyway, Katara, you can't keep doing that. Trust me, I agree with you 100%, but you'll get yourself killed."

"And what am I supposed to do? Sit around and watch while people are suffering? You're suffering, Haru! You're father's suffering! It doesn't have to be this way!" Katara yelled angrily.

"I can't let you do this, Katara! I know I met you just yesterday, but you're a friend. I can't let a friend put themself in danger!" Haru whispered as he walked close to Katara and touched her cheek. This made Katara slightly blush but she still managed to look angry.

"Umm ... should I go?" Sakura asked when she saw Haru touch Katara's cheek.

"Katara, please! Just stop this! Leave with your friends. We'll be fine." Haru exclaimed.

"No! I will never ever turn my back on people who need me!" Katara yelled. "C'mon Sakura, we're leaving!" She said before her and Sakura began walking away.

"Katara, wait!" Haru pleaded before grabbing Katara's arm. Suddenly, Katara spun around and slapped Haru with her free hand. Haru was in shock and was just staring at her with wide eyes.

"When I first met you I didn't think that you would be such a coward." Katara said quietly before walking away. Sakura followed, but not before sending an apologetic glance Haru's way.

Later That Night

Aang and Naruto snuck onto the rig and began looking for Katara. When they found her, they woke her up. She gasped, but Aang motioned for her to be quiet. Katara looked at Naruto before pulling down the blanket of the person next to her who had their head covered. It revealed a sleeping Sakura. Naruto looked shocked. He then grinned and began to say Sakura's name but Katara quickly put a hand over his mouth. Katara silently woke Sakura up and pointed at Naruto. Sakura smiled at him and gave him a hug before the four of them went back to where Sokka, Appa and Momo were. By that time Sakura and Naruto were talking to each other enthusiastically.

"Your 12 hours are up. Where is Haru? We have to get out of here! Oh, and who is she?" Sokka said, pointing to Sakura at the end.

"This is Sakura. She is one of Naruto's friends that he was looking for." Katara told him as Aang and Naruto hopped back on Appa. "And I can't leave."

"We don't have much time there are guards everywhere! Get on!"

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked.

"I'm not leaving. I'm not giving up on these people." Katara said with a determined look on her face.

"And neither am I! I'm staying too!" Sakura agreed.

"Are you crazy Sakura-chan, Katara-chan?" Naruto asked.

"What do you mean you aren't leaving?" Sokka asked.

"We can't abandon these people! There has to be a way to help them." Katara said.

"Yeah! We can't just leave them to rot in a prison for doing nothing wrong! These people are only in here because of an ability they possess! That's no reason to let them suffer!" Sakura exclaimed. No one noticed Naruto frown and put a hand over his stomach or Sokka put two fingers to his chest.

"Maybe they're right. What do you say, Sokka, Naruto?" Aang asked.

"Let's do this!" Naruto declared, his frown changing into a large grin.

"I say you're all crazy!" Sokka exclaimed before they all had to avoid the spotlight. "Last chance, we have to go!"

"No." Katara and Sakura said together. Sokka just sighed.

"C'mon, we'd better hide."

Meanwhile, Aang whispered something in Appa's ear and the bison flew away as Momo flew over to Aang and landed on his shoulder. As Appa was flying, though, two soldiers walked by where the gaang just were and spotted him.

"Look!" One of the soldiers exclaimed.

With The Warden

"Tell me exactly what you saw." Said the warden as he turned around to face the two soldiers that saw Appa fly away.

"Well, sir, it looked like a flying bison." One of the soldiers said.

"What?" The warden asked.

"It was a giant flying buffalo sir. With an empty saddle." The other soldier said.

"Which was it? A buffalo or a bison?" The warden asked.

"Uhhh ... I'm not sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point, is it sir?" The first soldier asked.

"I'll decide what the point is, fool!" The warden yelled before throwing the soldier into the water below.

"..." The other soldier said as the warden turned to him.

"You! Wake up the captain! Search the entire rig!" The warden said, walking away.

"Uh, sir?" The soldier called.

"What?"

"... That was the captain ..."

"Then wake up someone who isn't drowning right now and search the rig! There is something going on here and I don't like it!"

With the Gaang

"We don't have much time. What are we gonna do?" Sokka asked.

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane!" Aang exclaimed. When he noticed the confused stares he was getting, he explained, "The warden would run and we would steal his keys."

All other members of the gaang facepalmed at the same time.

"What an idiot ..." Sokka muttered.

"Never say stuff like that in front of others, Aang." Katara scolded, sounding almost ashamed.

"Even I knew a plan like that is stupid!" Naruto said with his squinty-eyed face.

"You and Naruto are two of a kind ..." Sakura stated resulting in a 'hey!' from Naruto.

"I was just tossing ideas around and it's not like you guys came up with anything ..." Aang muttered.

"ANYWAY, let's be serious now. What are we going to do?" Sokka asked once again.

"I already tried talking to the earthbenders to encourage them fight for themselves but it didn't work. They basically ignored me." Katara told them.

"We need to find a way to help them help themselves. It'd be so much easier that way." Sakura added.

"To fight back they need some kind of earth or rock. Something bendable." Sokka whispered.

"But this entire place is made of metal ..." Katara trailed off thoughtfully, trying to think of what the earthbenders could use to fight.

"No it's not! Look at the smoke!" Aang exclaimed.

"Umm, shouldn't airbenders bend smoke?" Naruto confusedly asked. Sakura angrily knocked him over the head.

"No you idiot! He means they are burning coal!" Sakura said as loud as she could while whispering.

"Coal, in other words, earth." Aang finished as everyone looked at the smoke.

Later

"It's almost dawn. We're running out of time! You sure this is gonna work?" Katara asked Sokka.

"It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale." Sokka replied.

"I wasn't with you before. So could you please explain how this will work?" Sakura asked.

"Sure. There is a huge deposit of coal at the base of this island and the whole system is ventilated. Aang closed all the vents except one. When he does his airbending the coal only has one place to go. Right back here." He finished with a smile. Sakura, Katara and Naruto all understood and nodded before realized they were being surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers.

"There are the intruders!" One of them yelled.

"Stand back! I'm warning you!" Sokka yelled while taking out his boomerang.

"Katara stop! You can't win this fight!" Tyro told her. At that moment, Katara turned around and saw not only Tyro, but Haru and all the other prisoners. Her and Haru locked eyes for a second before she looked away.

"Listen to him well children! You're one mistake away from dying where you stand!" The warden suddenly said as he entered the scene.

Naruto took one look at the warden and grinned.

"Katara, Sokka." Once said two turned to look at him, he said loud and clear, "Take off the weights."

The two looked shocked because they forgot they even had them on. They took off the wristbands, leggings, and vests. All while the guards and prisoners were staring at them incredulously.

"They're surrounded and they choose now to take off clothes?" One of the soldiers asked, confused.

"What is this a strip tease?" Another soldier asked. Sakura looked at the two before smirking.

'Smart Naruto. Giving them weighted training to increase their speed? I guess training with Lee-kun and Gai-sensei really paid off.' She thought to herself.

Meanwhile, the two Water Tribe siblings looked at themselves, amazed at how light they felt. They then looked at each other then smirked and both got into their respective fighting stances. The soldiers began to approach them slowly with their spears. Sakura and Naruto each pulled out two kunai while Sokka pulled out his club. Katara put her fists up and tensed in her stance as if waiting to be attacked.

Suddenly, all the coal flew out of the vent and landed in front of all the earthbenders. Aang and Momo then emerged from the vent, with Aang coughing.

"Here's your chance earthbenders!" Katara said before picking up a piece of coal and saying, "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"

Haru was about to step forward but he was stopped by his father who shook his head. Several earthbenders stepped back in fear and Katara's annoyance could easily been seen on her face. She was annoyed because the warden was laughing at her efforts to help these people.

"Foolish girl. You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces! Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them. How sweet. They're a waste of your energy, you failed."

The warden didn't get to say more because a fist was firmly implanted in his face.

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled at him before her fist sent him tumbling backwards and into a wall. "These people are not broken! I refuse to let them stay slaves like this!" She said before getting into a fighting stance.

As the warden got back up, about to charge at Sakura, he was suddenly hit in the head by a rock. When he looked to see who threw the rock, he saw Haru with a menacing look on his face. Just as the warden sent a blast of fire at Haru, a wall of coal suddenly rose up and protected him. Haru looked back to see that his father had saved him.

"Show no mercy!" The warden ordered before he and his soldiers launched a wave of fire at the earthbenders. Tyro, Haru and two others quickly formed a wall of coal to block the blast.

"For the Earth Kingdom, ATTACK!" Tyro yelled as he and the other three earthbenders brought down the coal with so much force some of it flew towards the soldiers. The earthbenders with the help of the gaang began to take the offensive and fight the soldiers.

"Sakura, look out!" Katara called out to her as she saw a soldier about to stab her in the back with a spear. Sakura simply back flipped over said soldier and kicked him so hard in the side of the head that they went flying into the ocean. She turned around and punched another soldier into five more of them, sending six enemies off the ship in the process.

Katara shook off her amazement and turned back to a soldier that was approaching her and followed her instincts. She ducked under a wave of fire and sweep kicked the soldier before straddling his waist and taking off his helmet. She knocked him out with a swift punch to the head. She then got up and stared at her hands in awe of her own strength. She then smiled and ran to another soldier.

Sokka, on the other hand, was being attacked by two different soldiers at the same time. He suddenly threw his boomerang at one of them but it missed. He quickly turned around and hit the other in the head with his club. Just as the soldier who was still conscious was about to launch a blast of fire at him, the boomerang hit the soldier in the head. After the soldier was stunned, Sokka punched him in the stomach so much that he spit out a bit of blood before passing out.

"Got em'." Sokka smirked in excitement with his own abilities. He didn't even know he could punch that hard. Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind for the moment, he ran off to help Katara fight.

Naruto and Aang were blowing soldiers back with basic airbending techniques. Suddenly, a soldier was behind Aang and about to stab him in the back.

"Look out!" Naruto cried before dashing toward Aang to save him. Naruto jumped in front of the spear and parried it with his kunai before leaping forward and kicking the soldier in the chin, sending said soldier flying.

"Thanks for the save." Aang thanked gratefully.

"No problem. What are friends for?" Naruto replied with a grin before turning around and sending a gust of wind at another soldier. He looked at Aang before charging at another group of soldiers. Aang grinned too and began fighting the soldiers again with his staff.

Sokka and Katara were attacking a soldier together. They noticed that he was very good at hand-to-hand combat. So, they decided to fight together. Katara was currently trying to hit his legs while Sokka was trying to hit his face. When Katara suddenly sweep kicked and the soldier jumped over it, the two siblings shared a glance. Sokka immediately tried to hit him with his club. The soldier easily blocked the strike and kicked Sokka in the face to make him let go of the weapon. Sokka quickly recovered with a roll before throwing his boomerang which was easily dodged. Katara suddenly rushed forward and began a barrage of punches before smirked and sidestepping. The soldier, keeping his eyes on Katara, didn't notice the boomerang coming back at him. The boomerang made contact and he swayed dizzily. He screamed in pain when he felt a strong impact in his lower region, courtesy of Katara. He then passed out from the pain.

The two Water Tribe siblings high-fived each other before they rushed to help Aang, Naruto and Sakura.

Meanwhile, Tyro and Haru were compressing coal into a single rock with earthbending. They launched it at the door, which made a hole in it.

"Get to the ship! We'll hold them off!" Tyro ordered his fellow prisoners.

"Do not let them escape!" The warden yelled before he and three other firebenders sent blasts of fire towards the people trying to escape.

Aang stopped running and formed a small tunnel of air in-between his hands. He then expanded it to make it a larger tunnel that went behind him and up his back.

"Guys! Throw me some coal!" Aang ordered but Sakura stopped them as she shared a glance with Naruto.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sakura asked with a grin.

"You bet! Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as about fifty Narutos popped into existence. All the clones made the ram seal and said, "Henge!" Before they all transformed into shuriken. At that point, Sokka and Katara were shocked but still helped Naruto and Sakura put shuriken into Aang's air tunnel. A volley of shuriken flew at the firebenders and warden who tried to block them but still got cut and stabbed by them. They all fell to the ground as the shuriken poofed out of existence.

Tyro, Haru and another earthbender began bringing the pieces of coal lying on the ground together to form a platform underneath the warden and his soldiers. They levitated the platform and moved it over the ocean.

"No please! I can't swim! Have mercy!" The warden pleaded.

"Don't worry. I hear cowards float." Tyro coldly replied before dropping them into the water as the warden screamed in terror.

With Naruto, Aang and Sokka

"How did you do all that amazing stuff today?" Sokka demanded Naruto once they got on Appa.

"What amazing stuff could you possibly mean?" Naruto asked innocently.

"You know! Like transforming into a stool, creating more of yourself and summoning those sharp star thingies!"

"Okay, first of all, those 'sharp star thingies' are called shuriken or ninja stars. Second of all, I can do those things by using chakra." Naruto answered.

"Could you explain more about chakra please? Cause I don't know too much about other than it defies logic!" Sokka asked.

"Yeah. I'm kind of curious about it too." Aang added.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Sakura-chan was one of the smartest people in our class so she could probably explain it better than me but I'll try my best. Chakra is the life force of ninjas. You get chakra when you combine your physical energy or stamina with your spiritual energy or chi. You can gain stamina by physical exercise like what I put you guys through. The reason I did that is because the more stamina you have the higher your chakra level will be. Anyway, chakra can then be channeled through the body to anyone of the 361 chakra points where chakra can be expelled. Chakra can be used to do techniques such as cloning yourself, casting illusions on enemies, or even walking on water. Chakra is capable of doing almost anything because you can create your own techniques with chakra too. I was planning to teach you guys how to use chakra so that you will have an easier time fighting the Fire Nation." Naruto explained.

When he was finished, Aang and Sokka were both looking at him in awe.

"That's so cool!" Aang yelled excitedly.

"With that kind of power we could win this war for sure!" Sokka exclaimed.

"When do we start learning?!" Aang asked.

"Sakura-chan and I could start teaching you guys tomorrow if you want." Naruto offered.

"Let's do it!" Sokka smiled.

"I'm surprised you're not saying how I'm lying and how those things are impossible." Naruto remarked.

"Well, when you made all those clones today, you basically made me feel like everything I knew about science was a lie so I'm convinced that you're telling the truth." Sokka replied.

"Oh. Well that's good to know. Wanted to break you out of that mindset before we started training anyway." Naruto told him with a grin.

"So it's settled then. We're learning how to use chakra tomorrow." Sokka stated.

"Yes and you will also be learning taijutsu which is hand-to-hand combat and how to use weapons. One more thing." Naruto said. Aang and Sokka turned to look at him. "During this training your physical exercise will be doubled. It might be too much for even you Aang. And trust me when I say you will hate me and Sakura. But once we're done molding you guys into the perfect shinobi, you can't deny the results. It will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get through this training. I had to go through this with my master so you will have to go through this too. But don't worry, just remember that it's necessary to become stronger. Think you can handle it?"

At this, Sokka and Aang looked at each other before looking back at Naruto with with determined looks in they're eyes.

"We can handle it." Sokka and Aang said at the same time. Naruto grinned evilly at this.

"Just remember you asked for it."

With Katara, Sakura, Haru and Tyro

The prisoners were finally liberated. To get back to their home, they took the Fire Nation ships and were now sailing on the ocean away from the prison. Appa was swimming next to the ships with Aang, Sokka, Naruto and Momo on his head.

"I want to thank you for saving me, for saving us." Haru said to Katara.

"All it took was a little coal." Katara told him as she scratched the back of her head.

"And a little Sakura action!" Sakura butted in with a smile.

"It wasn't the coal. It was you Katara."

Katara blushed and Sakura just began mumbling under her breath that she helped too.

"You too Sakura."

Just like that Sakura went back to smiling.

"Thank you for helping me find my courage Katara of the Water Tribe and Sakura of ...?" Tyro started but then looked at Sakura questioningly at the end.

"Konohagakure." Sakura told him.

"Sakura of Konohagakure! My family and everyone here owes you much." Tyro told them with a genuine smile on his face.

"So, I guess you're going home now." Katara said.

"Yes. To take back my village." Tyro then turned to the other prisoners and declared, "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"

All the other earthbenders cheered. As Katara was watching this, Haru pulled her away from his father and Sakura.

"Come with us." Haru told her.

"I can't. You're mission is to take back you're home. Our's is to get Aang to the North Pole." Katara replied as she looked at Aang.

"That's him isn't it? He's Avatar, right?" Haru asked. He received a slight nod in response. He took a deep breath and said, "Katara, I thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I would see him again. I can't thank you enough. Also, I wanted to tell you that even though I met you just two days ago, I really like you. I understand that we have to go our separate ways now but I'll make sure we meet again one day. But for now..."

Haru leaned forward and planted his lips on Katara's head.

"Goodbye Katara." He finished with a sad smile before turning around and walking away. Sakura, being a ninja and all, heard and saw the whole thing.

"So when is the wedding?" Sakura asked as she walked up to Katara who had a sad look on her face. "Don't worry, you'll see him again."

"That's not why I'm upset. I'm upset because Haru's a really great guy, but I don't like him that way. But I don't want to hurt him either..." Katara told her quietly.

"It's okay, Katara. I'm sure he'll understand. Just tell him that the next time you two meet." Sakura said before saying her own goodbyes and leaping onto Appa. Katara just sighed and put on a fake smile before waving goodbye to Tyro before jumping on Appa herself.

'Now he's going to be waiting for me. He'll be crushed when he finally learns I don't have those kinds of feelings for him. Mom, I wish you were here to help ..." Katara thought as she lifted her hand up to touch her mother's necklace only to find it wasn't there.

"My mother's necklace!" Katara suddenly shouted, sounding panicked. "It's gone!"

The other members of the Gaang were just as shocked as she was.

Prison Rig

Back at the prison rig that they had just left, Katara's necklace laid on the ground. Suddenly, someone picked it up. It was Prince Zuko.

"Avatar... I was beaten me last time. But I will get stronger and when I come for you, none of your little friends can stop me." Zuko muttered to himself while clutching the necklace.

"You probably can't beat the Avatar as you are now." A mysterious figure with a silky, yet creepy voice said from the shadows. Startled, Zuko whirled around to glare at the location the voice came from.

"Come out." Zuko ordered.

Nonchalantly, a pale man with long, silky black hair walked out of the shadows. He had golden eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes. He was wearing plain grey garbs with black pants and a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back and blue tomoe-shaped earrings.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked as he got into a firebending stance.

"My name, boy, is Orochimaru. And I happened to overhear that you wanted to defeat the Avatar." At this, the man now identified as Orochimaru, smirked. "I also happen to be a very strong fighter. Perhaps I could train you if you'd like?"

Zuko scoffed at him.

"What could you possibly teach me? You don't seem like a firebender." Zuko said dismissively.

"I may not be a firebender. But I can do something similar to it. Watch." Orochimaru told him while weaving hand signs. When he stopped at the tiger seal, he inhaled and exhaled a stream of fire.

Zuko looked shocked.

"If you're not a firebender, how did you do that?" Zuko asked confusedly.

"I use the art of chakra to fight. Chakra allows people to do many amazing feats. Like this." Orochimaru replied before walking up one of the walls. Zuko looked like he was about to faint. Orochimaru quickly back flipped off the wall before landing soundlessly on the ground and turning to face Zuko.

"Now would you like to learn?" Orochimaru asked smugly. Zuko looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That was amazing and all, but how is that going to help me fight the Avatar?" Zuko demanded.

"I can teach you much more than that. I can train your hand-to-hand combat abilities and teach you how to combine my fighting style with your firebending. I can also increase all your skills at least five fold. Furthermore, I can give you special techniques where you can control different elements other than fire. You could beat the Avatar at his own game! You can use the elements without even being able to bend them!" Orochimaru exclaimed. At this, Zuko looked intrigued.

'Beat the Avatar at his own game? I'll give this guy a chance. I don't trust him though. He gives off a weird vibe. If he tries anything, I'll just reduce him to ash.' Zuko thought.

"I accept your offer. When do we start?" Zuko asked with an arrogant smirk.

"We start tomorrow morning, 9:00 A.M. Come to the front of your ship and I'll be waiting. Farewell." Orochimaru smiled mysteriously before turning into snakes. Zuko looked shocked as the snakes slithered away. That guy seemed creepy to him. What exactly had he gotten himself into?

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was contemplating what he should do with the boy.

'Maybe, later I can give him a curse mark and use him as a body in the future. Only if he becomes strong though. If he is weak, I'll use his sister. Maybe even his father if the Avatar doesn't kill him first. Or, maybe I'll use HIM.Yes, that sounds like a good plan. However, I still need to find out the location of Sasuke. But maybe, if I travel with this boy he will lead me right to him.' Orochimaru thought before using vanishing, going back to his temporary base in this world.

Well, I FINALLY got that chapter up. I'm starting to really hate school. If anyone tells you they completely enjoy school, they are lying to some extent. But anyway, I once again apologize. I'm supposed to be putting up a chapter every week and here I am posting after like two months. But here's what I'll do. I have Christmas vacation coming up. I'll try to use Christmas vacation to type as many chapters as I possibly can in two weeks of vacation. Next chapter will be the Winter Solstice (Part 1 and 2). See You Guys Next Time!